The Presidency has confirmed that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, is recovering from an illness at his Abuja home, dismissing rumours of a more serious condition and any plans for his replacement.
A report by the PUNCH Newspaper confirmed that multiple senior officials within the Presidency, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, moved to clarify the minister’s health status on Sunday.
The report said an official directly addressed and dismissed circulating rumours that the minister had suffered a stroke or had been urgently flown abroad for treatment.
“Yes, he’s indisposed. He’s sick, which is a bit serious, but it’s not a stroke,” the source stated, adding, “As I’m talking to you, he’s in his house. He has not been flown anywhere.”
Another official confirmed that Edun is currently under the care of Nigerian doctors and is being monitored closely. “He’s being attended to by Nigerian doctors. They’re still monitoring him. If he needs medical care outside Nigeria, he will go. But he’s still at home,” the official said, firmly stating that “there are no plans to replace him.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, publicly corroborated this information. “Yes, he’s indisposed. Wale Edun is about 69 years old. He suddenly fell ill. As we are talking, he is in Nigeria. He is recuperating. He’s around,” Onanuga told our correspondent on Sunday evening.
The confirmation from the Presidency follows media reports suggesting that President Bola Tinubu was considering replacing the minister due to his ill health. The minister’s condition also led to an earlier announcement that he would not be attending the upcoming World Bank and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C.
Instead, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the important economic summit. Appointed in August 2023, Edun has been a central figure in President Tinubu’s economic agenda, steering policies aimed at stabilising the national currency, curbing inflation, and attracting foreign investment.
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